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Legendary Filipino pool player Efren “Bata” Reyes settled for the bronze medal in the men’s 1-cushion carom event at the 31st Southeast Asian Games Vietnam 2021 after a semifinal loss to hometown pride Tran Thanh Tu Nguyen on Wednesday at the Hà Đông District Sporting Hall in Hanoi.

Nguyen pulled away steadily in the race-to-100 points match before taking it, 100-55 over the 67-year-old Reyes.

Earlier in the day, Tuan Pham Quoc also ousted Filipino bet Francisco Dela Cruz, making it an all-Vietnamese finale while the two Pinoys took home the bronze medal.

Reyes’ performance equaled his showing for the same event in the 2019 SEA Games. He increased 1-cushion billiards total haul to five bronze medals dating back to the 2011 Palembang, Jakarta games.

After the contest, Nguyen approached the world renowned sporting icon to take a selfie, paying respect to one of the all-time greats in the sport.

Earlier in the day, Johann Chua beat Carlo Biado for a gold medal in the men’s 9-ball singles event.

The Philippines will have a chance to add to their overall medal haul in the biennial meet from the past time sport, with the 10-ball events still in progress.

Screengrab from F The Thao YouTube stream